Detroit Motor Show: New Infiniti Q50 sedan revealed

Infiniti Q50 sedan.

Nissan luxury arm Infiniti's new Q50 sedan was officially launched at the Detroit motor show overnight, but the company's global boss, Johan de Nysschen, told Drive that the new model won't go to market with a full engine lineup.

The Q50 will initially be offered with a choice of either the carryover 3.7-litre petrol V6, or the performance-focused petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain which teams a 3.5-litre V6 to an electric motor.

Two four-cylinder engines, a petrol and diesel sourced from Mercedes-Benz, won't arrive for "about two years" according to de Nysschen.

"Part of our history has been being very US-centric," de Nysschen says. "It has not been considered important to have four-cylinder gasoline and diesel powertrains for that matter, which has been an inhibitor of our ability to grow in markets like China and Europe."

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"I imagine that with a powerful and efficient turbocharged four-cylinder, we could probably see the total sales mix exceeding 40 per cent - and all of that's incremental to what we have today," he says. "It's part of the reason of why we're so optimistic for the prospects of this car.

"We are in a co-operative alliance with [Mercedes-Benz parent company] Daimler, and we will be sourcing those engines from Daimler," de Nysschen says.

"[The four-cylinder engines are] currently used in the C-Class, it's a derivative of that engine. It just takes time to develop the engine and the car to work together," he says.

"You know, you don't just stick an engine into a car - there's calibration that needs to be done, you need to set up the suspension tuning, there's a homologation process to be done. This takes time."

When asked why Infiniti didn't instead opt for a Nissan-sourced engine to suit its needs, de Nysschen was frank.

"We're in a hurry," he says. "To develop, in-house, an engine with the turbocharge feature and the noise, vibration and harshness characteristics that we seek would just take longer.

"Same with transmissions," he says. "We will be commencing with joint-manufacturing through Jatco, a transmission that will also be used by Daimler.

"This is part of what is happening in the global landscape right now," de Nysschen says. "With the high cost of development of vehicles and technology, you see strategic alliances happening all over the industry. It so happens now that Infiniti and Daimler in such a strategic alliance. We remain competitors, but there is potential for component sharing, for joint platform development, and all of these are under exploration at the moment."

The technology-laden Q50 features distinctive design traits such as twin touchscreens - one for media, one for ventilation controls - and the Japanese maker says its car will feature "class-leading" rear seat space. The boot is 510 litres, 50L bigger than a BMW 3-Series.

One safety option set to be offered is "Active Lane Guidance", which can automatically correct the steering of the car if an on-board camera-based detection system senses that the vehicle is straying from its lane due to surface changes or cross-winds.

The new Infiniti Q50 ushers in the company’s new naming strategy, which sees all cars (sedans, coupes and convertibles) wearing a Q badge, and SUVs brandished with a QX nameplate. The naming system will roll-out locally around 2014 - or when the new Q50 arrives, whichever comes first.

A high performance version of the Q50 to take on the Audi RS4, BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz AMG C63 and Lexus ISF is also believed to be in the works.

Infiniti will also offer a coupe which will wear the Q60 badge, as de Nysschen told Drive, but he said a convertible model is still under a cloud of uncertainty.

"[A Q60 convertible is] also still under discussion. We haven't decided formally yet to begin the development of such a car," he says, stating it is currently too early to speculate whether the car would come with a hard or soft top.